Portia co-convenes the Gender Summit 9 Europe, Brussels

The Gender Summit 9 Europe was held on the 8-9 November 2016 in Brussels. Portia is the co-founder and -convenor of the Gender Summits, a series of interconnected mission-based events established as part of our genSET project in 2011. The Gender Summits are not just a conference, they are a building a global community of practice to effect positive change. Part of the GS9Eu was held in European Parliament Hemicycle, hosted by the FEMM Committee. The session included contributions from Iratxe Garćia Pérez, Chair, European Parliament Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM), B. Mario Pinto, President, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Canada, Minister Naledi Pandor, Minister of Science and Technology, South Africa and Prof Marja Makarow, Director, Biocentre Finland; Member, Gender in the Nordic Research and Innovation Area Programme Committee, NordForsk (photographed left-to-right). We are very grateful to the FEMM committee for hosting the session, and keeping gender firmly on the agenda during the development of the Horizon 2020 programme. The Gender Summit overarching theme, guiding its evolution, is Quality Research and Innovation through Equality. At the heart of our work through the Gender Summits is evidence => consensus => action => change. The GS9Eu was held under the sub-theme Gender-based research, innovation and development for sustainable economies and societal wellbeing. This was chosen because the GS9Eu coincides with important policy developments in Europe and globally that look towards science knowledge and technological innovation to create a better future for all. Significant here are: the new EU Gender Action Plan and Horizon 2020; the UN Sustainable Development Goals; the African Union’s Africa 2063 and Continental Education Strategy Africa agenda; and the OECD vision for Inclusive Innovation and Creating Our Common Future through Science and Technology. The GS9Eu was a tremendous success, attracting 250 participants from 40 countries to hear from over 65 speakers in 15 sessions. Read the #GS9Eu hashtag on Twitter for more on the event. The GS mission is not limited to Europe, it has been taken up across the globe: 2017 will see the GS Asia-Pacific held in Tokyo and the GS North America held in Montreal. Plans are underway for further events in Africa and Latin America. Portia works with selected consortium of key stakeholders in each region to convene the Gender Summits. Find out more via www.gender-summit.com or GS9Eu report to the European Parliament and European Commission.